Atovaquone
Atovaquone (alternative spelling: atavaquone) is a chemical compound that belongs to the class of naphthalenes. Atovaquone is a hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone, an analog of ubiquinone, with antipneumocystic activity. It is manufactured in the US in the liquid form, or oral suspension, under the brand name Mepron.[1]
Uses
Atovaquone is a medication used to treat or prevent:
- Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP),[2][3] although it is not approved for treatment of severe PCP.
- Toxoplasmosis.[4] The medication has antiparasitic and therapeutic effects.
- Malaria. It is one of the two components (along with proguanil) in the drug Malarone. Malarone has fewer side effects and is more expensive than mefloquine.[5] Resistance has been observed.[6]
- Babesia. It is often used in conjunction with oral azithromycin.[7]
Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX, Bactrim) is generally considered first line therapy for PCP or toxoplasmosis. However, atovaquone may be used in patients who cannot tolerate, or are allergic to, TMP-SMX. In addition, atovaquone has the advantage of not causing myelosuppression, which is an important issue in patients who have undergone bone marrow transplantation. Atovaquone (hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone) is also widely claimed to be the primary component of the herb Henna, used to color hair in India, no proof as of this time has been found to determine the validity of this claim.
Malaria
Atovaquone is available as a combination preparation with proguanil that has been commercially available from GlaxoSmithKline since 2000 as Malarone for the treatment and prevention of malaria. For further details see atovaquone/proguanil.
References
- ^ Mepron
- ^ Hughes W, Leoung G, Kramer F, et al. (May 1993). "Comparison of atovaquone (566C80) with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole to treat Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in patients with AIDS". N. Engl. J. Med. 328 (21): 1521–7. doi:10.1056/NEJM199305273282103. PMID 8479489. http://content.nejm.org/cgi/pmidlookup?view=short&pmid=8479489&promo=ONFLNS19.
- ^ Dohn MN, Weinberg WG, Torres RA, et al. (August 1994). "Oral atovaquone compared with intravenous pentamidine for Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in patients with AIDS. Atovaquone Study Group". Ann. Intern. Med. 121 (3): 174–80. PMID 7880228. http://www.annals.org/cgi/pmidlookup?view=long&pmid=7880228.
- ^ Djurković-Djaković O, Milenković V, Nikolić A, Bobić B, Grujić J (December 2002). "Efficacy of atovaquone combined with clindamycin against murine infection with a cystogenic (Me49) strain of Toxoplasma gondii". J. Antimicrob. Chemother. 50 (6): 981–7. doi:10.1093/jac/dkf251. PMID 12461021. http://jac.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/pmidlookup?view=long&pmid=12461021.
- ^ Malarone: New Malaria Medication With Fewer Side-effects
- ^ Färnert A, Lindberg J, Gil P, et al. (March 2003). "Evidence of Plasmodium falciparum malaria resistant to atovaquone and proguanil hydrochloride: case reports". BMJ 326 (7390): 628–9. doi:10.1136/bmj.326.7390.628. PMC 151974. PMID 12649236. http://bmj.com/cgi/pmidlookup?view=long&pmid=12649236.
- ^ Krause PJ, Lepore T, Sikand VK, et al. (November 2000). "Atovaquone and azithromycin for the treatment of babesiosis". N. Engl. J. Med. 343 (20): 1454–8. doi:10.1056/NEJM200011163432004. PMID 11078770. http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/343/20/1454.
External links
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